Hi, everyone! In honor of my recent move to Chicago, I decided I would post my interview with Max Loebman, guitarist of the Chicago-based rock group ROOKIE. Loebman plays guitar in the band, alongside fellow players Dimitri Panoutsos and Christopher Devlin. Joe Bordenaro (drums), Kevin Decker (bass), and Justin Bell (keys) round out the group. The group released their debut back in March of 2020, but to say that these guys are "rookies" is definitely an understatement. In fact, getting to open for legendary Chicago rockers Cheap Trick and briefly opening for hot Chicago act Twin Peaks so early on is nothing short of impressive. Sporting the shag of 70s southern rock bands of the past, as well as some killer matching jumpsuits, ROOKIE is a group that you're going to want to look out for!
bazzreviews: Which albums or artists inspired you to start a music career in the first place?
Max Loebman: I’d definitely say it was a lot of 70s artists like Neil Young, Chicago, etc. The album Zuma by Neil is great. There's a rawness about his music that so many musicians avoid, I think it's what makes everything from him so great. “Cortez the Killer” is a timeless anthem for me.
br: How did you guys first meet each other?
M.L.: We all met through the Chicago music scene. We've all played in various bands like Yoko and the Oh No's, Joe Bordenaro And The Late Bloomers, Gnar Wave Rangers, and more.
br: What’s the significance behind the band’s name?
M.L.: I think Joe came up with it. Not a ton of significance behind the name, I guess we all just liked the sound of it. It's funny too, some journalists have used it to joke that we're not really “rookies.” Maybe by the next album, we should shoot to be MVPs, because I think we're still rookies.
br: Because of the pandemic, how have you guys been staying active as a band?
M.L.: It’s been tough, but we've been writing a lot. We've started getting together in a safe capacity, and we’re in the process of working more on our second album.
br: You guys recently did some opening stints for hometown acts like Cheap Trick and Twin Peaks - what were those experiences like?
M.L. Both stints were very rewarding. Unfortunately, the Twin Peaks tour was cut short by COVID - but the couple shows we were able to play with them were a blast. Touring with Cheap Trick was a pleasure, those guys are legends and happen to be very kind people.
br: I’ve heard that the live show is a pretty important part of what you guys do- would you say that you prefer playing live rather than working on new songs?
M.L.: Both are great, but I wouldn't want one without the other. There's a different energy to each, you know? They both release different endorphins. When I play live, I get an adrenaline rush. When we write a new song, I get a sort of creative rush.
br: What’s the story behind the matching jumpsuits?
M.L.: Joe and I picked them up at a Ragstock in the Boystown neighborhood of Chicago. There's no real story behind it, but Joe's aunt ironed the logos onto them and we started wearing them uniformly. It made for some great touring outfits. I guess I didn't have to pack much because I knew when I got sweaty - it wouldn't be in my regular clothes!
br: Can you describe the writing process on your self-titled debut?
M.L.: It's pretty different from what we're doing now. Some songs were brought in already fleshed out and ready to go, while others were a skeleton that we pieced together as a band. At the time we were recording it, there were only four of us. Everyone brought songs to the table, but now that there are six of us, we have two more members that can contribute some ideas. This time around, we'd like to record the album in a shorter amount of time. The debut was recorded slowly over a long period of time, which made it interesting, but maybe not ideal.
br: What’s more important to you guys- lyricism, or production value and instrumentation?
M.L. That really is a hard one. On our debut, I'd venture to say production and instrumentation were placed pretty high up in importance. For our newer songs, I feel we're working a lot harder on writing better lyrics and giving every song meaning. That's not to say production and instrumentation are less important, I'd say both are MORE important than before this time around.
br: What are some of your favorite songs to have made? Are there any fun stories behind them?
M.L.: I’d say for me, “E Jam” and “Elementary Blues.” They're both very long songs, almost like a lot of the jam bands of the 70s. In “Elementary Blues,” the outro was initially just going to a guitar solo. Over the process of recording, we ended up adding a pedal steel guitar, organ, and piano all soloing as well. I love how it came out. Sort of orchestrated chaos. “E Jam” has that awesome break section where Joe tracked all sorts of crazy percussion on it. I'm so about that, Chicago and James Gang are big on that.
br: If you could rewrite or delete any song from your discography, what would it be and why?
M.L.: I think the song “Introduction II” was supposed to be an entire song, but ended up becoming an instrumental introduction to Side B of the record. It would be cool to possibly go back to the studio and explore how we could have made that into a full song.
br: Knowing everything you do about music now, what is one thing you’d tell your past self?
M.L.: Practice, practice, practice, and always surround yourself with musicians that make you strive to be better at your craft.
br: What else can you say about this upcoming record?
M.L.: As I’ve said throughout the interview, it's no secret that we want to put out more music. I think it's a bit more jammy and musically intelligent than some of the songs on the first.
What music goals do you have for the future?
I think I’d want to go down Neil Peart route. Rush was another big band for me, as was Peart’s craft. That guy was a wizard. He knew what was up. Even at his height, he continued to strive for improvement. As for the band, I guess we want to be one of those workhorse bands that are constantly putting out fresh, new material that is more inventive than the last.
I'd like to thank Max for giving me his time to do an interview! Wishing these guys the best of luck in their upcoming endeavors. In the meantime, go check out their debut record, and keep on checking out more content from bazzreviews! Hope you guys are all doing well and staying safe.
To hear some of ROOKIE's music, head over to https://open.spotify.com/artist/5RK3ubgRUSpRlRkkT8gurm
